Friday, September 17, 2010

Guitar Nerds & Salsa

Just found one of my favorite bootlegs from the vinyl days, "Arrow" by Television, and from the guy who originally recorded it. Pretty cool. Interesting little read about it's history and how it was the original tape source of the famous "Blow Up" Roir casette. If you're not a fan it's probably not the place to start, though actually they do have a little of the "never quite got it on tape" legend, and though the vocals are weaker than the studio stuff the guitar playing is a feast. Lot's of highlights on this, Richard Lloyd's electric jug imitation on "Fire Engine", The great "Little Johnny Jewel", and one of the best Dylan covers ever(really). I did a little Cap'n Crawling and dug up the Cd version of the Roir release, which actually has twice as much stuff. So you know, go with that one.....

Watched a nice PBS special about the history of Latin music, which of course made me want to hear some, particularly Salsa. Admittedly when I lived in Chicago I had a terrible reaction to this stuff because it was never my choice to hear it. It was thing keeping me up all night or the thing that was louder than my headphones blaring from some passing car. Here in the burbs though, it's flavor is most welcome. Anyway, I found this nice Fania set which seems pretty comprehensive. It's pretty straight up Salsa BTW, not really the more groove oriented stuff you'd get on some hipster compilation, hipsters....

4 comments:

Thanks, man . . . I was just thinking the other day about how I had to go looking for "The Blow Up". I have been listening a lot to "Marquee Moon +" and Tom Verlaine's "Warm and Cool" lately, hence my quest for "The Blowup". I always thought this was a mindblowing recording.

Actually got to see one of the reunion shows. It was pretty great, except for the most unfortunate on-stage string break I've ever witnessed, Richard Lloyd on the crescendo of Marquee Moon, last song.They kind of fumbled through the last few seconds, then he apologized and hunkered off stage, AARRGHH!!!